


No Looking Back

by sakarrie



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Also Player is being forced to grow up too fast, Angst, Bad Parenting, Bittersweet/Happy Ending - Freeform I guess?, Distressed Player, Gen, Happy in some ways but also Player's dad sucks and he doesn't not suck by the end, Like no explicit abuse, Player & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep Friendship, Player's dad works for VILE, Protective Carmen, Protective Siblings, but he's a black and white villain, soooooooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29604222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakarrie/pseuds/sakarrie
Summary: It's been a long caper, and Player is ready to catch some sleep before meeting up with the others tomorrow. But after Team Red comes across a familiar face in Player's family pictures, it becomes a race to reach their friend first.
Relationships: Ivy & Player (Carmen Sandiego), Player & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Player & Zack (Carmen Sandiego)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 102





	No Looking Back

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! Hope you're doing well!
> 
> First off, I just want to say a big thank you for all the continued support on my stories. The comments and kudos have really made my day and keep the inspiration flowing. Thank you all so much for your kind words!! They really mean a lot to me. <3
> 
> Quick disclaimer that this is _not_ the ACME/VILE parents fic I've been talking about. The parent's characters are way less black 'n white and are way more flushed out in that one haha, but sometimes you need an entirely hostile villain to capture the full angst. ;) Plus in that fic, the mom works for VILE and the dad works for ACME (I'm calling it "Loyalties 'Verse" for the time being.)
> 
> This fic is loosely based on Febuwhump's day 15 prompt "run. don't look back." If any of you are looking for h/c inspiration, I highly recommend checking out their list!
> 
> Anyways, on with the story!

Carmen walked out of the building, starting to feel the long day in her body, but happy about the successful caper. The air was frigid, and Carmen was glad Player had reminded them to bring their heavy jackets. 

Speaking of Player, Carmen should give him a call back. Her comms had been smashed during the fight, and she knew he was prone to worry.

Pulling out her phone, she called her best friend and put the device on speaker phone so she could balance it on top of the painting she held.

"Red?" the alarmed voice came on a moment later.

"Hey, Player," Carmen smiled, using a light tone to reassure him. "Sorry, the comm broke mid-battle, but we're all good. Zack ready with the getaway car?"

"Yep, and Ivy's already on her way back too."

Carmen paused, noting the tiredness in Player's voice. He'd pulled an all-nighter to get them to Toronto last night, and Carmen could practically hear him falling asleep over the phone.

"Well, I can find my way back myself. It's super late and I know you're exhausted. Get some rest, Player."

Player made a disgruntled noise that didn't sound nearly as divisive as he clearly intended. "It's only five minutes. I can stay on the line."

Carmen had to hold back a laugh at how slurred his words were becoming. "Player, are your eyes even open?"

There was a slight delay, and Carmen didn't try to contain her laugh this time. She kept moving forward as her friend started to sputter protests. "Player, I promise I can find—"

Carmen cut off as she rounded the corner and found one of the operatives who'd slipped away earlier standing in front of her. There was a brief moment where their eyes met, both too startled to move, before the man's expression turned dark, and he ran into the darkness. 

"Red?"

The voice was slightly more alert, nerves at the edge of his tone, but the exhaustion was still clear. Carmen watched the man disappearing in the distance. 

"I just stumbled into one of the operatives that got away, but he ran off before I could react. It can wait, though. We have what we came for, and you need sleep."

There was a slight pause before Player sighed. "Fine, but only cause I want to be awake when we meet up tomorrow.”

Carmen laughed. "Sounds like a plan. Get some rest. I'll call in the morning, okay?"

Player made a muffled sound in affirmation, and mumbled, "Night, Red," before the phone call ended.

As much as Carmen didn't like that Player was clearly exhausted, she couldn't help but admit that her friend was a hilarious sleep-drunk. He'd refuse that he was tired basically anytime someone mentioned it, but everyone could tell by the way his words would start slurring and his responses would become delayed. There'd been a few times he'd even fallen asleep during a call.

Feeling her own tiredness kick in, Carmen focused on getting to the car. She'd still be awake for a few hours since her body clock hadn’t adjusted yet, but the idea of a warm building right now sounded amazing. Toronto was quite chilly at night.

About five minutes later, she found the car, Ivy already shotgun with Zack scrolling through his phone beside her.

Ivy waved as she saw Carmen approach, and she hurried to get inside the vehicle. Warm air rushed out at her as she opened the door.

"Got the car nice and warm for ya," Ivy said, smiling. "Don't know how Player can stand this cold all the time."

"I’m pretty sure Player normally isn't out in unheated buildings," Carmen responded.

"Speaking of Player," Zack started. "I was trying to figure out some restaurant options, and found his mom's Facebook page. Check out these family pictures! Player was such a cute kid!"

Carmen turned away, though she was certainly tempted to look. "Can't," she said. "I promised myself I wouldn’t poke around Player's personal life. For safety reasons."

It was a silent pledge she'd made shortly after leaving the island. Player had made it clear he had no problems with Carmen knowing anything about him, but she couldn't stand the thought of potentially leading VILE to him. After all, even a single Facebook search could be dangerous if VILE ever got a hold of her stuff. She couldn't even imagine what might happen if VILE learned about him.

The fear wasn't a new one, but it would grip her at the most unexpected moments, and she couldn't afford to be distracted. After all, Player was safe as long as he wasn't involved in person, one of the many reasons he was still back at his house right now, so dwelling on the what-ifs really didn't help anyone.

"Um, Carm?" Ivy started, and the alarm in her voice cut through Carmen's thoughts. "You might want to take a look anyway. For safety reasons."

That definitely caught Carmen's attention, and she looked up to where Ivy was handing the phone back to her.

Taking it, Carmen felt her heart jump into her throat. On the screen there was a family picture where Player couldn't have been more than eight or nine, a big smile worn on his face. His hand was wrapped around his mother's own, and he sat on the shoulders of a tall man.

A man Carmen had just seen a few minutes ago.

Carmen's head was spinning. This couldn't be happening. She knew exactly what the picture meant, but the thought terrified her. Player had always been safe as long as he was home, but it now looked like VILE lived under his roof as a member of his own family.

She thought back to the wild look on the man's face before he'd ran, and her heart stopped completely.

Player had been on the phone with her. That was why he looked so startled—not because she caught him, but because _he recognised his son's voice_.

He knew. And he was going straight back home to Player.

"We have to get there first."

Thankfully, Zack seemed to be on the same page, as he started the car immediately. Ivy started pulling up directions, and Carmen brought up Player's contact on Zack's phone. Holding it to her ear, she frantically waited for Player to pick up.

The call immediately went to the answering machine, and Carmen struggled to keep the panic at bay. It didn't necessarily mean anything. Even if Player's dad had booked it, he should still be at least a half hour out.

Switching to her own phone, Carmen tried again with the same results. Player was always accessible to her, even if he was asleep. This situation was just getting worse by the moment.

"Player’s not picking up. I don't think the call is even going through. His dad couldn't have left more than five minutes before us, but I don't know how fast he might be going. Zack, what are the chances you can make up that time?"

Zach glanced at her and their eyes met in the rearview mirror. He looked nervous, but he just nodded and laid into the pedal. "We'll make it."

Ivy started pointing out some back roads they could take to avoid lights, and Carmen let it all fade to background noise as she thought about their situation. They had to get Player out of there asap. Thankfully, his mom was visiting her sister in Michigan, so it was just Player they needed to worry about for now, but Carmen couldn't help but wonder about what would come after this. After all, this wasn't just a rescue; this was going to change Player's entire life. Not only would this destroy Player’s view of his father, but Carmen had also exposed her best friend to the knowledge of VILE. They couldn't count on his dad being anything but a full traitor, and that meant VILE would know everything about Player's true identity. 

Player would never be safe again.

A hard jolt shook her out her thoughts as the car took a corner too fast.

"Sorry, Carm," Zack called back. "You might want to buckle up til we get a little closer. Things are gonna be rough for the next while."

Carmen snorted. He was definitely right about that.

Reluctantly pulling on her seatbelt, she tried to keep her thoughts on the present. They just had to get Player out and safe tonight.

They would deal with the rest later.

________

Player woke to hands roughly pulling him out of bed. 

It was definitely not a fun way to wake up, and he was being half-dragged out of his room before he was even fully conscious. He struggled to get his feet under him as his eyes finally opened. The house was darker and quieter than it should have been, and Player was about to start struggling before he noticed the long coat his attacker was wearing.

"Red?" he asked, voice hoarse with sleep.

"No time. We need to get out of here," she replied, more panic in her voice than Player had ever heard on missions. Carmen didn't freak out. Whatever this was, it was serious. Player forced his legs to move faster.

They’d just barely left the house when Player's brain caught up with what was going on. His feet stopped in their tracks. "The hard drive!" he shouted, turning back towards the house. "We can't lose it!"

A hand stopped him from darting back inside, and Carmen spun him back to meet her frantic eyes. For a moment, Player thought she was going to tell him to leave it, but then she shoved him towards the car only a few feet away, where Ivy was opening the door with a concerned look.

"Fine. I'll get the hard drive, but you need to go _now_." Carmen turned towards the siblings waiting at the car. "Zack, Ivy, get him out of here. I'll meet up with you later."

Player wanted to protest, but Carmen was already rushing back towards the house. "The day we met!" he called after her, knowing she would need it to get into the safe. 

Carmen waved a hand to confirm she'd heard before disappearing into the completely dark house. Hands pulled him back to the car, and Player looked up to see it was Ivy.

"What's going on?" he asked, suddenly unsure if he wanted Carmen going back into the house alone.

Ivy just shook her head, pushing him into the backseat. "We need to get you gone. Carmen will explain things when she gets back."

Before Player was able to react, Ivy climbed in behind him, and the car started speeding down the street.

His breath caught as he thought about how they were just leaving Carmen there. When he'd awoken, the house had been darker and quieter than he'd ever experienced. And with her comm broken and phone abandoned beside him, Player couldn't even walk her through finding the safe. He'd just have to hope she remembered the date.

Then an idea occurred to him. "Do you guys have Carmen's laptop?"

The siblings shared a look before Ivy started rifling through the backpack at her feet. Handing the laptop over, she asked "What are you going to do?"

Player pursed his lips. "I don't like leaving her alone back there. I think the power was cut, but I should be able to fix that as long as it was done digitally. If I can do that, I should be able to access my computer's camera and microphone so we'll know if she needs help." 

Ivy grinned from where she sat next to him, giving his shoulder a light bump. "Guess you're just as much of a nerdy genius in person too."

Player smiled back at the praise, taking a moment to marvel that this was their first meeting. But the moment was quickly ruined as he noticed that Ivy’s smile only half-reached eyes, and Player could see how tightly Zack was gripping the wheel from where he sat in the back. It was obvious he wasn't the only one concerned about their friend.

Turning his attention back to the computer, Player breathed a sigh of relief as he found what he was looking for. It looked like the power _was_ tampered with digitally, and it wasn't hard for him to undo the tampering. Once the power was back on, it only took a couple of minutes to access his computer's camera and mic. Ivy leaned over his shoulder to watch the camera feed as well.

Now that the electricity was back on, the room was lowly lit with an array of blue lights from his many devices. Carmen was in the back corner, placing the safe on the bed. Player couldn't see much in the dim light with Carmen’s back mostly to him, but he let out a sigh of relief as a creaking sound filled the mic and she pulled the lid open. A warm feeling blanketed his chest at how easily she must have recalled their meeting date.

Ivy let out a whoop, and Player called to Zack, "She's got the hard drive!"

"Knew she could do it!" Zack cheered, hunched shoulders lowering somewhat.

Player smiled, but then jumped as the sound of a door opening echoed from the laptop’s speakers. Carmen jerked up in the video, but Player relaxed as he recognised the footsteps in the hallway.

"Dad," he breathed out. Then, horror filling him at what could have happened had Carmen not been there, he continued. "I can't believe I _forgot_! Thank goodness Carmen is there."

Ivy shifted besides him. "Uh, Player—"

She cut off as Player's dad filled the doorway, catching Carmen just as she pulled out the hard drive. Strangely, his dad didn't seem startled at the sight of a random woman in his room. Player would have expected him to be calling the police by now, but instead he seemed to just stare at Carmen. 

Narrowing his eyes, Player noticed the outline of his dad in the doorway seemed off too. It was definitely him, but he seemed less... bulky. As if his clothes were skin-tight.

Carmen glared and, as his dad stepped further into the low light of his room, Player could see the expression was mutual. What was going on?

"Carmen Sandiego," his dad said, voice harder than he'd ever heard it. Player and his father weren't super close, but it was still strange hearing the alien tone coming from the usually light-hearted man. "Where's my son?"

Player’s stomach rolled with discomfort. The words might have sounded protective coming out of someone else's mouth, but the way his dad sneered 'son' made Player doubt that was the case.

"Safe," Carmen said back, and Player flinched at the threat in her voice. There was a bite in it he'd only heard a few times, and only aimed at the most cruel of VILE members. Surely she knew this was his dad, right? Maybe Carmen didn’t know?

His dad snorted, and before Player could reflect on the hostility of the action, the next words took away all logical thought.

"Not once VILE gets their hands on him."

There was no concern in the words, no fear or sadness or anything else that could stop the whirlwind of feelings Player was drowning. Because what the words _did_ hold was _intent_.

A hand on his shoulder brought him back and made him realise he'd missed Carmen's response. He forced his breaths to slow down, unable to afford missing any of this conversation. Maybe Player just hadn't heard correctly.

He watched as his father noticed the hard drive in Carmen's hands. "Oh wow. So that's been him this whole time?" An incredulous smile took over his face, and Player's skin crawled as he recognised it from regular dinner table conversations. Was this really the man who'd come to Player's track and field events in elementary school? The one who'd take his mother dancing and split a whole large pizza with him every other weekend? 

His dad was still talking, though, and Player forced himself to focus again.

"I really shouldn't be surprised. He's always had a knack for computers. You know, I was planning on talking with his mother about shipping him off to VILE island next year. 17 would still be a little young, I know, but they've allowed younger. Isn't that right, Black Sheep?” Both Carmen and Player flinched at the nickname. “But no matter. Looks like he'll be there even sooner than I'd hoped. Might even get rid of him for good."

This couldn't be happening. His dad would never say something like that. Sure, they weren't as close as he was with his mother, but that didn’t mean he'd subject him to VILE, right? That didn’t mean he wanted him _dead_ , right? 

But the words were undeniable. 

There was a loud crashing sound, and Player could barely make out the short fight playing out on the screen through the wetness in his eyes. He breathed out a sigh of relief, as Carmen broke the window and jumped out, hard drive in her hand.

The feed kept going though, and Player took in the destruction that was once his room. What floored him, though, was when his gaze fell on his father and the hatred in his eyes as he watched Carmen escape.

A hand gently closed the laptop screen, and he looked up to see Ivy, a solemn but compassionate look on her face. "Player—"

Player cut her off with a hug, and Ivy returned the embrace with just as much ferocity. Letting go of his fragile grip on his emotions, he allowed the shuddering sobs free as he cried into her shoulder.

\----

Hours later, Player’s eyes were still wet when finally Carmen arrived at the hotel, hard drive in hand. She took one look at him, mouth forming an ‘oh’ and opened her arms. Player surrendered to the hug immediately. 

Zack and Ivy were great, and Shadowsan was on his way to where Player’s mom was staying right now, but Carmen knew him better than anyone else in the world. Player needed his best friend right now.

Tears were streaming again, and Carmen rubbed small circles into his back. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry, Player.”

Player clung on tighter, words spilling out without thought. “He— He said he was just going to hand me over. He wanted them to—”

“I know,” Carmen replied, and with her chest so close, Player could have sworn he felt her heartbeat speed up. She pulled back just enough so they could lock eyes. “But that’s not going to happen, okay? I’m going to do everything I can to make sure they never get their hands on you.”

The promise to protect him was clearly meant to soothe Player’s fears, but the truth of the statement struck a new chord in him. 

As Player thought over the uncomfortably intimate information VILE would now have on him, it was obvious that it wouldn’t take long for them to come to that very same conclusion. After all, they were already well-aware that Carmen’s weakness was her friends. It was only a matter of time before they realised just how easily he could be used against her.

He wouldn’t allow it.

They pulled apart, and the world felt cold once more. Carmen gave him a reassuring smile, and Player did his best to return it. Taking the hard drive from her, he wiped away the remaining tears and pushed all thoughts of his dad out of his mind. 

There was no room for any of that in his new life.

“Thanks, Red,” Player said. 

Carmen gave his arm a final squeeze before letting go to check on the others. As she walked away, Player made his own promise. 

_I won’t let them use me against you. No matter what it takes._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This is all for now in this story, but I'm open to revisiting it you guys are interested/if inspiration strikes later. Please leave kudos and a comment if you have a moment!


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